Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) has published a case study on the life of Founder-Chairman SAI International, late Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo and the journey of SAI International. The case, namely, SAI International School: In Pursuit of Academic Happiness, was published recently on the official website of IIMC and it will be taught to all management students who attend the MBA programme at the prestigious institution.
IIM Calcutta has included this case in its core curriculum of management to teach the country’s finest leaders the concept of SAI, the art of entrepreneurship and education management. The study was conducted by Aditi Bhutoria, Assistant Professor, Public Policy and Management Group, IIM Calcutta along with Bhaswati Mukhopadhyay from IIMC. This thesis states that happiness and education not only can but should co-exist and must be taken seriously by everyone concerned about preparing children and young adults to be better ‘leaders of tomorrow’.
“With education, we bring in new perspectives in the life of children by exploring and enhancing their infinite possibilities,” said Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, a believer in education being fundamental to the happiness of an individual. For his contribution to education in East India, his work continues to be celebrated across India.
SAI International School: In Pursuit of Academic Happiness is a case study that speaks volumes about the affiliations between education and happiness. This thesis explores what we ought to teach if we take happiness seriously as an aim of education.
If educators were to accept its premise and be guided by its arguments, those involved in educating children and youth would have to dramatically rethink what they need to accomplish with their students and restructure what they do in classrooms, not only the content but also the interactions they have with students.
This thesis was developed under the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Case Research Centre (IIMCCRC) which is a Center of Excellence (CoE) that constantly develops cases based on key industry challenges and success stories. These distinct cases act as supplementary reading materials to enhance classroom room learning of the students.
SAI International School: In Pursuit of Academic Happiness published by the portal of IIM Calcutta talks about how SAI International School, a day-cum-residential co-educational school established by Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo in 2008 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, sculpted itself on the edifice of learner well-being and happiness.
Built on the mantra of “putting a radiant smile” on its students’ faces, this CBSE-affiliated school charted a little over a decade-long journey by making parents and teachers the two key pivots in its pursuit of happiness in education. This thesis synthesises Dr Sahoo’s corpus related to education, learning, leadership and entrepreneurship.
“We are extremely humbled and happy that IIMC published our story as a 35-page case study, SAI International: In pursuit of Academic Happiness, which will be taught to MBA students studying at IIM Calcutta, in order to impart valuable entrepreneurship lessons to the students. I am sure students will gain an insight into building an environment of happiness in a school,” said Dr Silpi Sahoo, Chairperson, SAI International Education Group.
The case study titled SAI International School: In Pursuit of Academic Happiness has been published under the thematic group of Entrepreneurship and is available for purchase and download on the IIM Calcutta website, iimcal.ac.in/case-studies-lists#accordion-2
